FREEDOM BEHIND BARS

Started in 1964, the Angola Prison Rodeo at Louisiana State Penitentiary provides inmates a moment of freedom.

Approximately 75% of inmates at Angola will never leave. Louisiana has the nation's highest incarceration rate, and is known for tough sentencing. For those here serving time the rest of their days, the rodeo acts as a reminder of life on the other side. It gives them something to work towards twice a year. At the rodeo they mill around, joke with fellow convicts, and see family and friends. — 

I visited Angola Prison Rodeo in 2017 as a personal project. I was chaperoned through the facilities, allowed to conduct over 30 interviews, and document the rodeo event in April of that year.

This work was later featured in large format print in Victory Journal, Vol 14.

To view selections from this project in person, visit the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, GA where the pieces are part of their permanent collection.